A bench warrant has been issued by Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court in Abuja for the arrest of a former Comptroller-General of Customs, Abdullahi Inde Dikko.
This according to the statement released by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) was to ensure his attendance in court to take his plea on the next adjourned date for his arraignment by the Commission on fraud charges.
The Commission in a statement released on Monday 17th February 2020. said that the bench warrant issued for Abdullahi Inde Dikko was a sequel to an application brought by ICPC prosecution counsel, E. A. Shogule, when another scheduled arraignment could not hold due to the absence of the accused person in court.
Justice Ojukwu granted the Commission’s prayer over continued failure of the former Comptroller-General Abdullahi Inde Dikko to attend court for his arraignment.
While ordering Dikko’s arrest, Justice Ijeoma noted that his lawyer, Solomon Akuma (SAN) who, on the last adjourned date, had assured the court that his client was going to be present in court only turned around to present a medical report claiming that he was critically ill and on admission in London.
The judge also ordered that if in the execution of the bench warrant it is discovered that the accused was actually ill and receiving treatment in a London hospital, then the execution shall be suspended, otherwise, the prosecution should arrest him and produce him in court on 16th March 2020 which is the next adjourned date for arraignment.
Abdullahi Inde Dikko, alongside two others, Garba Makarfi and Umar Husseini, are facing multiple charges that include defrauding the Managing Director of Cambial Limited, Mr Yemi Obadeyi of N1.1 billion.
Abdullahi Dikko Inde voluntarily retired from office in 2015, after six years in the saddle. He was also named as one of Nigeria treasury looters by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.